It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's a . . . snake?

I was once again researching cryptids for my NaNo novel, and I found a reference to an arabhar--a flying serpent. I'm a big fan of dragon mythology, so my interest was piqued. The original reference to the creature was minimal, so I Googled the term and spent the next few hours following link after link.

And guess what? IT'S REAL!

Well, not the dragon part. But people think the legend of the arabhar is based on the genus Chrysopelea, which is a family of snakes that can fly! Or glide, anyway. They flatten themselves into a concave wing shape and glide to the next tree.

The article calls them "mildly venomous," so they aren't supposed to be dangerous to humans. I think, even if they aren't technically poisonous, they still pose a danger: I know I'd drop dead of an instant heart attack if a snake slapped me in the side of the face.

What a great horror story that would make! Instead of our fearless heroine worrying about the old cliche of bats tangled in her hair, she would have to worry about flying snakes getting caught in her hair! Or how about a breeding population in the big city, with snakes gliding from high-rise to high-rise?

The possibilities are just delicious!